Nine Lives - Danielle Steel Page 0,14

is.”

“I guess I do,” she said, feeling exhausted at the prospect. She had forced Aden to go back to school, now she had to make the same effort herself, and face her responsibilities. “What do they want?”

“They didn’t tell me. Their insurers probably want to speak to you, and their legal department. A lot of lives were lost in the crash. They’re going to be dealing with lawsuits. Are you going to sue them, Maggie? That’s probably what they want to know.”

“Why would I? It won’t bring Brad back,” she said sadly.

“Call them, and see what they have to say,” he prodded her, and she said she’d see him the next day at the office and hung up. She dreaded going and not finding Brad there. It would drive the reality home again. But she had to face it.

She had food in the oven when Aden came home that evening, not a casserole and not frozen pizza. She’d made Aden’s favorite meatloaf and he was startled when he saw it. She’d made mashed potatoes and string beans to go with it.

“You cooked?” He looked shocked.

“Jimmy Watson’s mom came over today and got me up and running.” He smiled and put his arms around her, then told her what she had planned to say to him.

“We’re going to be okay, Mom. We’re going to miss Dad like crazy.” His eyes filled with tears. “But he’d want us to get through it. We have to do it for him.”

“I know we will.” She held him tightly, and a few minutes later, they sat down to dinner. She had set the table with place mats, nice plates and cutlery, and cloth napkins. Everything was going to be different from now on, and they both knew it. She had Aden to take care of, and he needed her. Brad was gone. She was a widow at forty-seven. She had no idea how they were going to survive this, but she was determined that they would. Helen Watson had gotten her back on her feet and moving forward. Maggie knew she’d never forget what Helen had done. She owed her a debt of gratitude forever.

After the meatloaf, they had ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert, Aden’s favorite. It had been Brad’s too, but she couldn’t let herself think about that. She had a son to get through his senior year of high school and into college, a business to make decisions about. And, like it or not, she had to call the insurance company and the airline. The rest could wait.

Chapter 3

The morning after Helen Watson had visited her, Maggie got up even before Aden was awake. She woke him herself, and he opened an eye, surprised to see her.

“What are you doing up?” he asked sleepily. For weeks, ever since Brad’s death, she’d been up all night, haunting the house like a ghost, and fell asleep just before Aden woke up in the morning. He’d been making his own breakfast and leaving the house quietly, and his friends’ moms had been driving him, since the students weren’t allowed to drive and park their cars at school.

“I figured it was time to get back on breakfast duty.” Ordinarily, she had made him a hearty breakfast every day. He had a long day of classes and hockey practice ahead of him. He was a tall, powerfully built boy, like Brad, and needed fuel to keep him going. He smiled as he got out of bed and headed for the shower, then she went downstairs to make him his favorite breakfast of bacon and eggs, sunny side up, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. She knew he’d gulp it down before he flew out the door. He was downstairs twenty minutes later, his hair still damp from the shower, and he was happy to see her. She looked tired, but as though she had drifted back to earth again, after nearly four weeks since his father’s shocking death.

Aden was thinner and seemed suddenly older too. It was a hard way to grow up, and Buck Williams, his hockey coach, had been concerned about him, and had taken him under his wing. He knew from Aden that his mom had been close to nonfunctional since the crash, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder herself, which wasn’t surprising. Buck wanted to keep Aden on track, still coming to practice and focusing on school as best he could, despite the changes in his life. Buck hadn’t asked but